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ADHWGT wrote:So I've been living in Japan for five years, self-employed, always paying my taxes and hoken bills, but never enrolled in the national pension system. All of a sudden I got this letter from the Japan Pension Service stating, in English (among other languages!), that I'm "required by law to enroll in the national pension system and pay contributions".
Of course I'd rather not, seeing as it's quite pricey, not to mention that I've already been paying towards my national pension account in my home country (which unfortunately doesn't have one of those bilateral deals, I forget what they're called, with Japan – so what I paid back there probably won't affect what I have to pay here) since as long as I can remember, and I don't exactly see myself staying here until I retire.
After a bit of googling, it seems like there's no way to wriggle out of this whole thing. So instead, my question is: when I enroll, is the Pension Service going to demand full back payments for the previous five years, plus interest? (Needless to say, this would amount to a fortune by my standards...) Some people claim they can't demand more than two years of back payments, others ten. Or will they be happy as long as I start making the payments from now on, after I enroll? Has anyone here been through this process and lived to tell the tale?
wuchan wrote:You are already enrolled, everyone that pays tax automatically is. You are "required" to pay by law. Here is where things get strange, there is no penalty for not paying. All they can do is pester you, which they will, but they can't take money from your account or arrest you. A large number of Japanese people don't pay either.
Recently they changed how the system works. Now you can pay back up to three years and only need to pay for ten years in order to receive benefits at retirement.
wagyl wrote:As it stands, your biggest risk from not being enrolled is that you will not receive a Japanese pension. You are obliged to enrol, but that is the only penalty if you do not. Some people think that the pension received is a good return. Other people, and this includes many Japanese, are not enrolled even though they are obliged to be.
ADHWGT wrote:So I've been living in Japan for five years, self-employed, always paying my taxes and hoken bills, but never enrolled in the national pension system. All of a sudden I got this letter from the Japan Pension Service stating, in English (among other languages!), that I'm "required by law to enroll in the national pension system and pay contributions".
Of course I'd rather not, seeing as it's quite pricey, not to mention that I've already been paying towards my national pension account in my home country (which unfortunately doesn't have one of those bilateral deals, I forget what they're called, with Japan – so what I paid back there probably won't affect what I have to pay here) since as long as I can remember, and I don't exactly see myself staying here until I retire.
After a bit of googling, it seems like there's no way to wriggle out of this whole thing. So instead, my question is: when I enroll, is the Pension Service going to demand full back payments for the previous five years, plus interest? (Needless to say, this would amount to a fortune by my standards...) Some people claim they can't demand more than two years of back payments, others ten. Or will they be happy as long as I start making the payments from now on, after I enroll? Has anyone here been through this process and lived to tell the tale?
canman wrote: I only worked in Quebec and the bastards who have their own pension system(of course they do), do not have a reciprocal treaty with japan, so I lose that money in the QPP!
matsuki wrote:Count me in as another who misunderstood. So if one were to say, work in the US 10 years, work in Japan 12 years, move back to the US and work for another 25, at retirement, they would apply for benefits separately in both countries? (or are you disqualified from the Japanese benefits if you are no longer a resident?)
Régime de rentes du Québec wrote:Please note that receiving benefits from another country in no way reduces the amount of a pension under the Québec Pension Plan.
canman wrote:Hopefully the Canadian dollar will not have cratered by then meaning whatever money I receive will be all lost in the exchange process.
wagyl wrote:Who do you think I am? Google?
wagyl wrote:As always, the US makes it more complex! https://www.ssa.gov/international/Agree ... n.html#wep https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10045.pdf
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